In this episode of The ConTech Crew, we're lifting construction to new heights literally with Artem Kuchukov, CEO and co-founder of Kewazo. With a background in civil engineering and a master’s in construction robotics, Artem brings over a decade of experience in transforming how materials move on job sites using robotics and AI. He shares the incredible journey of Kewazo, a company revolutionizing vertical material movement, starting with scaffolding in industrial construction.

Jeff and Tannis get into the inefficiencies of traditional material handling, the safety risks of scaffolding, and how Kewazo’s solutions are bridging the gap with automation and data. From humble Lego-inspired beginnings to enabling AI-driven insights in oil sands and manufacturing plants, Artem breaks down the tech, challenges, and the future vision for robotics in heavy industry.

Key Learnings

Material movement is one of the most inefficient and risky parts of construction, especially vertical movement.
Scaffolding was a “low-hanging fruit” use case for Kewazo to automate, drastically improving safety and labor efficiency.
Industrial construction has better alignment and ROI potential for robotics than commercial construction.
Setup flexibility is crucial. Kewazo's solution can be installed in minutes and even remain as a permanent fixture.
Data transparency from robotic systems allows project managers to benchmark, plan, and optimize in real time.
Extreme conditions are no barrier Kewazo robots operate reliably in both Northern Canada and hot climates like Texas and Mexico.

Timestamps

[00:00] - Introduction

[02:26] - Artem’s background and why he entered construction robotics

[04:10] - Identifying scaffolding as a major pain point in vertical material movement

[07:00] - Inspiration from Amazon-style material flow for on-site automation

[10:30] - Pivoting from commercial to industrial construction and why it matters

[21:47] - Fast setup times and the “laptop vs desktop” analogy for on-site deployment

[26:40] - Passive data collection and the power of AI in creating transparency

[29:36] - Reliability in harsh conditions: oil sands to Mexico

[31:53] - Predictions for the next five years and how to learn more

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Industrial Construction Automation to Replace the Cranes and Unlock Physical AI with Artem Kuchukov

The ConTechCrew